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George Harvey Strait (born May 18, 1952), nicknamed " King George," is an American country music singer. The native Texan is known for his honky tonk country western sound. Strait is sometimes referred to as the "King of Country," and some critics call Strait a living legend (Bego, 2001). He is well known for his unique style of western swing music, barroom ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional country western music.

George won CMA Entertainer of the year in 1989 and 1990 and ACM Entertainer of the year in 1990. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Strait has been nominated for more CMA awards than any other artist. He holds the record for most Number 1 songs on Billboard Country Music charts and second on all charts behind Conway Twitty.

Strait's 38 hit albums (12 multi platinum, 22 platinum and four gold) rank him only behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The RIAA have certified his albums at 68x platinum, denoting shipments of 58.5 million in the United States. His best-selling album there is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6x platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million (8x platinum). According to the RIAA, Strait is the eleventh best-selling recording artist in the United States overall.

Strait was born in Poteet, Texas and grew up in Pearsall, Texas. His father, John Byron Strait, was a junior high school mathematics teacher. The Straits would often leave Pearsall on the weekends and in the summers to work at the family's 2,000 acre (8 km²) cattle ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas. Strait's parents divorced when he was in third grade, after his mother left, taking her daughter with her. Strait and his brother remained behind with their father.

Strait began playing with a rock band in Pearsall High School but his preference turned to country music. He counts country singers Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bob Wills and Hank Williams as his primary country music influences.

After graduating from high school, Strait enrolled in college, but dropped out and eloped with his high school sweetheart, Norma. They initially married in Mexico but repeated their vows in a church in Texas a few weeks later.

In 1971, Strait enlisted in the US Army. While stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry division (light), he began performing with an Army-sponsored band, Rambling Country, which played off-base under the name Santee. On October 6, 1972, while still in Hawaii, George and Norma welcomed their first child, Jenifer.

Strait was honorably discharged from the army in 1975. He chose to return to his studies, enrolling at Southwest Texas State University (SWT), now Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. He graduated in 1979 with a degree in agriculture.

While attending SWT, Strait joined the Ace in the Hole Band, who had been advertising for a new lead singer. Beginning October 14, 1975, the band played honky tonks and bars around south and central Texas and as far east as Huntsville and Houston. They gained a regional following and opened for national acts such as The Texas Playboys.

In the late 1970s, while Strait continued to manage a cattle ranch during the day, the band recorded several singles in a Houston studio that were released under the Dallas, Texas based "D" record label, but they never achieved wide recognition.

Strait became friends with Erv Woolsey, who operated one of the bars in which the band played, and who had previously worked for MCA Records. Woolsey convinced some of his Music Row connections to come to Texas and listen to Strait and Ace in the Hole play. Impressed with his performance, MCA quickly signed Strait. The Ace in the Hole Band continued to play with Strait, but now as his backup/touring band.

Strait's first single, "Unwound", quickly became a Top Ten hit. This was followed by "Down and Out" and then a whole series of #1 singles, beginning with "Fool Hearted Memory" in 1982. Strait was one of the best-selling country singers of the 1980s, and one of the few from that decade who survived the influx of rock-country singers such as Garth Brooks in the early 1990s.

His long-time producer Tony Brown, who has collaborated with Strait on more than 15 albums, attributes Strait's success to his understanding of what types of music work best for his voice and his fans, and his insistence on remaining true to his own style of music without trying to constantly reinvent himself. His signature style consists primarily of hardcore honky-tonk and Western swing.

In 1995, Strait released a four-disc boxed set career retrospective. "Strait out of the Box" became the 2nd best selling box set ever with shipments of 8 million in the United States.

On October 3, 2006, Strait marked his 30th year in the music industry with the release of a new album titled It Just Comes Natural. It contains 15 songs from Strait's longtime friend and songwriter, Dean Dillon. The album received positive reviews from critics. People Magazine, in their four-star review, remarked that "If ever there was a natural in country music, it's Strait," while USAToday raved that "He continues to make such consistent quality look easy." The first single off the album, "Give It Away" reached #1 and the title track, "It Just Comes Natural" became his 42nd Billboard #1. In 2007, "Wrapped" reached No. 1 on the Mediabase 24/7 country music charts, giving Strait his 55th overall number-one single.

Strait will be releasing a new album titled "Troubador" on April 1, 2008. The CD will have 12 tracks, including a duet with Patty Loveless and another with longtime songwriter Dean Dillion, who wrote many of the songs on "It Just Comes Natural." For "Troubador", Leslie Satcher wrote "much" of the CD's contents. The lead single off the album, "I Saw God Today", debuted at #19 on the Radio and Records and Billboard charts. It is the highest debut ever for a single from Strait.

In Strait's more than twenty-five years of recording, all of which have been spent with MCA Records, he has garnered 55 No. 1 songs on all country charts (including Mediabase 24/7, the old Radio & Records charts, and the now-defunct Gavin Report charts),and has more no. 1s than anyone in any genre. His 42 Billboard magazine country No. 1's have set a record, two more than previous record-holder Conway Twitty.

Strait has sold more than 73 million recordings and his certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 32 platinum and 35 gold albums. His overall certification numbers are third of all musicians, behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

Strait has won 16 CMA Awards, including consecutive entertainer of the year honors in 1989 and 1990, and holds the career record for CMA nominations with seventy-three. Strait was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Strait performed his No. 1 hit "Give it Away" right before accepting his replica Hall of Fame plaque at the 40th CMA Awards. He was only the second artist (after Eddy Arnold in 1966) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still actively recording and producing chart-topping hits.

One of the top touring country acts of the 1990s, Strait's concerts have set attendance records at more than twenty venues around the United States. His 2006 tour, which included only 18 performances, grossed over $15 million. Strait attributes his success as a performer to the fact that he and his band, who are "musically very tight," have a large pool of songs to draw from, and perform those songs very similar to how they sound on the albums.

From 1997 through 2001 Strait headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival which included artists such has Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and many more. In an effort to introduce these acts to as many fans as possible, the festival promised not to visit any market more than twice. The festival played only a small number of dates, usually no more than 20, but still managed to be the ninth biggest-grossing tour of 1998.

Since 1983, Strait has often appeared at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, recording his album For the Last Time: Live From the Astrodome during the final show at the Astrodome in 2002. The event set the record for paid attendance at the Astrodome with 68,266 people, breaking Latin superstar Selena's previous record of approximately 67,000 in 1993. The following year the Rodeo moved to Reliant Stadium. Strait's 2004 performance at Reliant Stadium set a new Rodeo attendance record, with 68,679 people attending his performance. In his more than twenty appearances at the Houston Rodeo, Strait has played to a total of more than 1 million fans.

From January through April 2007 Strait headlined a twenty-three date arena tour with Ronnie Milsap and newcomer Taylor Swift. The tour, originally scheduled to end in early March with back-to-back shows at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, was postponed until the end of April after Strait came down with laryngitis.